Some expected to see Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis as finalists in the voting for the title of Defender of the Year. Finally, he is the best blocker in the league (3.6), Victor Wembanyamawho accompanies Rudy Gobert and Bam Adebayo in the Top 3, to the great dismay of a particularly upset “AD”.
At only 20 years old, “Wemby” is already among the best defenders in the NBA. Guaranteed to finish on the podium for “Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)” in his first year in the NBA, the Frenchman will become the second rookie in history to obtain one of the first three places in this ballot.
The first ? A certain Manute Bol in 1986, at the end of this exercise where he also finished best blocker in the league, with a monumental – but not record – average of… 5.0 blocks per match!
An “All-Defensive” selection to top it all off?
We can therefore expect to see Victor Wembanyama appear in one of the two best defensive fives of the season, which will allow him to establish a new record for precocity.
At precisely 20 years and 101 days old at the time of the final regular season meeting, the Frenchman will then do (largely) better than the 21 years and 104 days of Dejounte Murray, decorated in this way in 2018 (but it was not ” than a » selection in the « All-Defensive Second Team »…).
Still on the subject of the “All-Defensive Teams”, it should be noted that there are currently only five of them to have been selected for one of them from their first year. Their names ? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970), Hakeem Olajuwon (1985), Manute Bol (1986), David Robinson (1990) and Tim Duncan (1998).
But none had joined the best defensive five, it was “simply” the second best for them. Victor Wembanyama, already praised by his peers, can really make history by being elected to the “All-Defensive First Team” in the coming weeks. By taking advantage of the disappearance of positions in these teams?
| Victor Wembanyama | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | SAN | 71 | 30 | 46.5 | 32.5 | 79.6 | 2.3 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 21.4 |
| Total | 71 | 30 | 46.5 | 32.5 | 79.6 | 2.3 | 8.4 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 21.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
